Before I get to the imminently forthcoming events, I have to take a quick moment to thank Jaym Gates again for putting the April 23 World Book Night / NC Speculative Fiction Night / Bull Spec Launch Party extravaganza together. It’s going to be a great lineup of game designers and writers, authors, translators, and a huge crew of Bull Spec #8 contributors, and I hope a whole lot of you (and your friends and random strangers!) help make it a great night. (And it will be good to see Jaym again after far too long as well!) OK, that’s done, so on to the upcoming events!

MARCH 2013

22 (Friday) 7 pm — B&N of Cary hosts Hugo Award winning Pittsboro graphic novelist Ursula Vernon for book #8 in her Danny Dragonbreath series of graphic novels for young readers, “Nightmare of the Iguana”. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4231658

23 (Saturday) 6:15 pm to 11:30 pm — ConTemporal 2013 will be promoted live on UNC-TV as part of taking phone calls for a UNC-TV pledge drive. “We will be taking pledges live on TV from UNC TV viewers. Please come dressed to show off your best Steampunk costuming! Costuming is not required but strongly encouraged. Why: UNC TV will be promoting ConTemporal 2013 live on air as part of this event. We must have a minimum of 20 volunteers to qualify for promotion. Please invite your friends, family and anyone interested in Steampunk and ConTemporal.” Training for volunteers begins promptly at 6:30, at 10 T.W. Alexander Drive in Durham.More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/533874939997393/?ref=3

29 (Friday) 6-9 pm — Hillsborough’s Skylight Gallery hosts local artist Richard Case for an evening of art and music. From Case: “Some of my recent work with Jeff Mcfadyen… Hope to see some locals come out to Hillsborough to see some art, hear some music and hobnob in a general sort of way.” More info: http://www.skylightgallerync.com/jem/Welcome.html

CHECK OUT

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 27 (Thursday) 6 pm -- Flyleaf Books hosts Megan Shepherd and John Claude Bemis for their new middle-grade novelsThe Secret Horses of Briar Hill and The Wooden Prince. Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of several acclaimed young adult books, and The Secret Horses of Briar Hill is her debut middle-grade novel. Shepherd lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and a dog. John Claude Bemis is an award-winning author, musician, and educator. His novels include The Prince Who Fell from the Sky and the Clockwork Dark Trilogy. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Education for his work in the schools as an author-educator and served as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate in 2013. John lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, NC.